Extrusion blow molding is useful for making hollow parts or structures having a variety of uses. Containers such as tanks, pressure vessels, cylinders and bottles, which may be used for pressurized or compressed gases and cryogenic gases, may be conveniently formed by extrusion blow molding.
Liquid crystal or crystalline polymers (LCPs) are beneficially characterized by gas barrier properties, chemical resistance or inertness, high creep resistance, excellent retention of properties over a broad temperature range including lack of embrittlement at cryogenic temperatures, and a low coefficient of thermal expansion. However, liquid crystalline polymers are difficult to process by extrusion blow molding.
According to Plastics World, p. 11, July 1988 and Adv. Mater., 10 (10), p. 2, Jun. 27, 1988, a moldable LCP is known. The LCP may be crystalline and moldable in 30% and 50% glass-reinforced formulations, or may be amorphous and extrudable, blow moldable and injection moldable in neat, glass-reinforced and glass/mineral formulations.
In continuous extrusion blow molding, parisons are continually formed and molds move into place to accept tubes of molten polymer. Continuous extrusion blow molding to impart biaxial orientation to a part made from an unfilled copolyester LCP (hydroxybenzoic acid and 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid), has been attempted. In this regard, Blizard and Baird, Intern. Polymer Processing, 4: 72-178 (1989), report forming a small part having no observed biaxial orientation, and rapid solidification to be a processing limitation. However, they report success and the benefit of relatively slow crystallization for a copolyester made from hydroxybenzoic acid and polyethylene terephthalate using a lower die temperature than was needed for processing the unfilled copolyester LCP.
Processing difficulties are accentuated when a large-sized part is desired, and also when a part or structure is desired for its gas barrier properties and uniformity of wall thickness becomes paramount. Therefore, there is a need for an improved process for extrusion blow molding liquid crystalline polymers, and in particular for forming a liquid crystalline polymer into a part or structure to be used for its gas barrier properties.